WO2013001114A1 - Device for continuous movement of structures - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for the continuous movement of a structure by means of a friction force, said device comprising drive mechanisms (19) configured to rotate pinions (6) in two directions, that in turn entrain traction chains (4); and a chain of highly rigid supporting links (2) for supporting vertical loads, connected to the traction chains (4) by means of bolts (3) that support vertical and horizontal loads. The ends of said bolts (3) receive said traction chains (4) and wheels (5) that are designed to support vertical loads and are in contact with said traction pinions (6), the supporting links (2) remaining in the central area of the bolts (3).

Description

 CONTINUOUS DISPLACEMENT DEVICE OF

 STRUCTURES

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention belongs to the Construction Engineering sector, and in particular, allows continuous displacement by friction of heavy structures, such as bridges or viaducts.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Traditionally the traction mechanisms that allow the transport by rolling of large loads are called "caterpillars". These mechanical elements are capable of adapting to different surfaces, evenly distributing the load on the ground and allowing displacement through very deformable terrain, which is impossible with other rolling systems. These caterpillars are used as means of transporting large loads over irregular terrain, such as construction machinery, military vehicles, snow transport, etc. European patent application EP0974510A1 describes a traction vehicle with caterpillar that improves the behavior of vibrations by increasing the vibrating mass and introducing damping elements into the joint chassis. This invention focuses primarily on military vehicles.

Friction displacement has many applications in various fields. This frictional displacement consists in carrying out the movement of an object taking advantage of the friction between two surfaces in order to transmit a certain horizontal effort, without relative movement between the bodies. The tractor element transmits the horizontal stress provided that the product of the normal load by the coefficient of friction between surfaces in contact is less than the horizontal force necessary to produce the movement of the object. This type of applications they are frequent in mining, for the extraction of material, in the industrial sector for displacements of elements in chain productions, etc. although they are used with small vertical loads since their objectives are usually to save distances and transport material continuously, so they reach a large longitudinal size. Patent application EP2326579A1 describes a frictional displacement system of variable length that increases the life of the belt in abrasive environments, but does not allow the movement of high loads.

The thrust of bridges can be included in the thrust line of large loads by friction. This is a widely used method today, in which the thrust is carried out by means of hydraulic cylinders called friction jacks. Generally, a pair of cylinders is used to perform horizontal displacement and another pair for vertical movement. This system, together with a braking plate, allows the thrust of bridges through successive cycles of launching and collecting hydraulic cylinders. Through this technique they have been able to push spans of up to 70 m. In many cases this system requires other auxiliary methods to complete the launch, such as friction thrust systems with passive or active retention, etc. This thrust method does not provide continuous movement and doubles the throwing time due to cat collection periods, achieving maximum speeds of up to 12 m / h.

Korean patent application KR20050009891A describes a pure friction thrust by friction jacks. This system is not able to provide a continuous push of the board, but it does so by sequences of advance limited by the cat's run. Patent application FR2437466A1 contemplates a system consisting of two lateral traction chains that drag plates. This system is designed to reduce friction between the superstructure to be displaced and its supports, without developing the system itself, the thrust capable of displacing the structure. This system can be arranged horizontally and vertically, but not to develop the thrust force but to guide and facilitate movement by reducing friction between the two surfaces, the mechanism plates and the surface of the superstructure. In the same way, in the patent application WO00 / 73589A1 a device that supports moving loads is described, but the device does not perform the displacement of the load, but is an auxiliary means, in this case cable. The device described in this document presents important problems, such as manual feeding of the system support plates.

However, current thrust systems of heavy structures or large masses have a number of limitations:

-The tracks used as traction mechanisms for rolling transport are designed to solve problems of adaptation to deformable and non-uniform terrain. To do this they distribute the load on the ground through which they circulate allowing the displacement of the system. This system has two major drawbacks. On the one hand it is not able to transport high loads due to the failure of the terrain on which it circulates. On the other hand, the system moves with the load, so it requires a path on which it can circulate, which in some cases is not possible.

-As for the systems that use friction continuous displacement devices, such as conveyor belts, roller paths, etc. Although they move mass distributed throughout their surface, they are not able to withstand concentrated loads, and require significant lengths.

-On the other hand, current bridge thrust systems are capable of withstanding significant vertical efforts and, in turn, displace the structure. However, the most important drawback of this system is the discontinuity in the movement and the low travel speed, since the thrust is carried out by successive cycles of expansion and collection of hydraulic cylinders. Likewise, these push systems do not incorporate any safety mechanism that allows automatic stop and load control. This fact forces to adopt additional measures to the means of push to control the stability and security of the bridge or viaduct during its different launch phases. Finally, current thrusts are unidirectional, having to resort to expensive operations and auxiliary means when you want to reverse the direction of thrust.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention seeks to solve the aforementioned drawbacks by means of a two-way continuous displacement device by friction of heavy structures (such as bridges or viaducts, among others) that reduces the total movement time.

Specifically, in a first aspect of the present invention, a continuous displacement device of a structure is provided by means of a frictional force comprising drives configured to rotate pinions in two directions, where said pinions in turn drag chains traction The device comprises a chain of highly rigid support links designed to support vertical loads, attached to the traction chains by means of bolts that support vertical and horizontal loads.

In a possible embodiment, the device comprises a plurality of support plates on the support links, said support plates being in contact with the structure to be transmitted by transmitting the thrust force by friction.

In a possible embodiment, the traction chains and wheels configured to support vertical loads and which are in contact with said tractor sprockets are fitted to the bolts, the support links remaining in the central zone of the bolts.

In a possible embodiment, the tension of said traction chains is modified by means of a tensioner. In a possible embodiment, the drives rotate the sprockets, transmitting the movement through an axle and said sprockets, in turn, engage the wheels of the drive chains.

The drives can be hydraulic, electric, pneumatic or magnetic.

In a possible embodiment, the device further comprises means for adapting to the geometry of the contact surface of the structure to be pushed.

In that case, the adaptation means may comprise a raceway resting on stringers, embedded in a loading beam, configured to allow vertical displacement of the support links.

The adaptation means can also comprise displacement elements, which make it possible to adapt the deforming support links and movements of the structure to be displaced, and a support structure.

In a possible embodiment, the device further comprises safety devices configured to detect overloads on the support links, stopping the device from activating if necessary.

In a possible embodiment, the device further comprises a housing that houses the entire mechanism and in turn protects it, this safety cover housing having one or more man steps and anchoring means for keeping the housing fixed.

In the previous case, the device further comprises an anti-friction system configured to support the horizontal transverse actions transmitted by the structure, between the traction chain and the support housing, where said anti-friction system comprises a sheet of sliding material, on the ends of the bolts, and a sheet of wear material on the housing.

In addition, the device can be located both at the bottom, at the sides or at the top of the structure that the device will move.

In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an installation comprising at least two devices of those described above, wherein each of said devices comprises control means configured to synchronize said device with each other.

The proposed mechanism allows to carry out a complete phase of the displacement of a structure in a continuous way, allowing the displacement of the structure in two directions, both forward and backward, and with straight or curved geometries, with the consequent saving of time in this type of constructions without increasing its cost.

The proposed mechanism adapts to various types of heavy structures, as well as different paths and materials. It is able to move continuously and at different speeds. It allows the advance and backward movement of the structure without the need for additional elements or complex operations and also incorporates an active security system.

Other advantages of the invention will become apparent in the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

In order to help a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention, in accordance with a preferred example of practical realization thereof, and to complement this description, a set of drawings is attached as an integral part thereof, whose character is Illustrative and not limiting. In these drawings: Figures 1 to 3 show various views of possible embodiments of the continuous displacement device of the invention. Figures 4 to 14 show details of different parts of the assembly. Specific:

Figure 1 shows a diagram of a possible implementation of the mechanism or displacement device of the invention.

Figure 2 shows a front view of the implementation of the mechanism or displacement device of Figure 1.

Figures 3 and 4 show a profile section of the implementation of the mechanism or displacement device of Figure 1.

Figure 5 shows a detail of the profile section of the displacement mechanism or device in which the anti-friction system that supports the horizontal loads according to a possible implementation of the displacement mechanism or system of the invention is appreciated.

Figure 6 shows the displacement mechanism without the external housing according to a possible implementation of the displacement mechanism or system of the invention.

Figure 7 shows a possible geometry of the support link.

Figure 8 shows a front view of the support link of Figure 7.

Figure 9 shows a top view of the support link of Figure 7.

Figure 10 shows a front view of the displacement mechanism without the external housing according to a possible implementation of the displacement mechanism or system of the invention. Figure 11 shows a possible active safety and load compensation system of the pushing mechanism of the invention.

Figure 12 shows a side view of the active safety and load compensation system of Figure 11.

Figure 13 shows a front view of the active safety and load compensation system of Figure 11.

Figure 14 shows a diagram of a possible application of the continuous thrust device of the present invention, the launch of a bridge or viaduct.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In this text, the term "comprises" and its variants should not be understood in an exclusive sense, that is, these terms are not intended to exclude other technical characteristics, additives, components or steps.

In addition, the terms "approximately", "substantially", "around", "ones", etc. they should be understood as indicating values close to which these terms accompany, since due to calculation or measurement errors, it is impossible to achieve those values with total accuracy.

In turn, throughout this text the terms displacement, launch and thrust (of a structure, be it a bridge, viaduct, etc.) are used interchangeably, considering all three terms as synonyms.

In addition, this text uses the following terminology of construction engineering, as any expert in this field will recognize: Heavy structure: it can be any construction element, equipment, building, container, bridge, viaduct etc. whose weight exceeds 10,000 kg.

Mechanism: set of resistant solids, mobile with respect to each other, joined together by different types of joints, called kinematic pairs (bolts, contact joints, bolts, pins, etc.), whose purpose is the transmission of movement in machines .

Link: Each of the rings or elements that form a chain.

Caterpillar: Rolling transport device used mainly in heavy vehicles or large loads, such as tanks and tractors, or other vehicles.

Rigidity: Ability of a solid object or structural element to withstand stresses without acquiring large deformations or displacements. In the context of the invention, the expression "high rigidity" associated with the support links should be considered as an absolute term, since "high rigidity" is understood to be that which exceeds 20,000 kilograms per millimeter.

Friction, friction force or friction force: It is defined as the action between two surfaces in contact, which opposes the movement between them.

The following preferred embodiments are provided by way of illustration, and are not intended to be limiting of the present invention. In addition, the present invention covers all possible combinations of particular and preferred embodiments indicated herein. For those skilled in the art, other objects, advantages and features of the invention will be derived partly from the description and partly from the practice of the invention.

Next, the displacement device, system or mechanism of the invention is described. It is a continuous bidirectional displacement mechanism that It allows heavy structures to be transported by friction, such as any construction element, equipment, building, container, bridge, viaduct, etc. The displacement is achieved by a frictional force between the mechanism and the structure in the direction of the desired displacement without relative movement between them. The structure can be formed by a single piece or by several sections joined together.

The continuous bidirectional displacement device of the invention is formed by one or two drives that can rotate both clockwise and counterclockwise and move tractor pinions. These sprockets transmit their movement to traction chains that incorporate a tensioner. The links of these chains are joined by bolts, preferably of circular section, that support the large vertical and horizontal loads and join the traction chains, the support links and the wheels, causing them to move together. The bolts have sliding material plates at their ends. On the support links there are some support plates which develop an important frictional thrust capacity, as a consequence of the weight of the structure. Likewise, the mechanism has a load and safety compensation system, as well as a housing, which houses and supports all the moving parts thereof, protecting them from external environmental factors and avoiding accidents. In the upper inner part of the sides of this housing there are wear plates that allow the chain to slide without difficulty. The device of the invention is modular and can be used individually or in pairs, and it is possible to use several independent or synchronous devices, as the situation requires. The direction of rotation of the tractor sprockets, and therefore that of the chain displacement, depends on the direction of rotation of the drives, which can be hourly and counterclockwise. In this way, the pushing force forwards or backwards is produced, giving rise to the advance or backward movement, respectively, of the structure to be displaced.

Figures 1 and 2 show a diagram of a possible implementation of the mechanism or system of the invention. The heavy structure that will be displaced by this mechanism rests on support plates 1. These support plates 1 are preferably reinforced and removable elastomer, providing a high coefficient of friction. Alternatively, they can be made of composite, knurled steel, aluminum, etc., with or without reinforcement. The support plates 1 are placed on support links 2 that are connected to each other by means of bolts 3. These support links 2 are of great rigidity to be able to withstand the great efforts to which they are subjected without deforming. These links have a specific geometry that gives them great rigidity, allowing them to withstand high vertical loads without deforming, unlike conventional links designed primarily to withstand efforts in the direction of the shot or movement. Figures 7 to 9 show different views of a preferred embodiment of the link designed for this mechanism. Alternatively, the link can take other possible geometries whose structural properties are similar or valid for the application. Figures 6 and 10 show the track mechanism without the outer shell, for ease of description.

At the ends of these bolts 3 there are wheels 5 that support the vertical load and a traction chain 4 that transmits the movement. The wheels 5 engage in pinions 6 that receive the movement of drives 19, which can be hydraulic, electric, pneumatic or magnetic, through an axle 7 that is coupled to the housing 16 by means of a support 18. The pinions 6 when turning, they transmit their movement to two traction chains 4. These chains drag the support links 2 that contain the support plates 1 and move the structure by friction.

The entire device is housed in a housing 16 that supports all the horizontal and vertical stresses of the mechanism and houses it inside. It preferably has a safety cover 17 as well as some man steps 16.a. In addition, it houses all the components, improving the operating and safety conditions. This housing comprises anchoring means 20 to keep the housing fixed. Thus, the housing is anchored to the ground preferably in three support areas by means of for example bolts and fixing plates 20. The device has an anti-friction system, configured to withstand the horizontal transverse actions transmitted by the structure, between the traction chain 4 and the support housing 16. This anti-friction system has a sheet of sliding material 27, preferably Teflon (illustrated in detail of figure 5), on the outside of each of the bolts 3 (on the ends of the bolts) that allows the chain 4 to slide even though it comes into direct contact with the housing 16 due to horizontal forces that may occur About the mechanism. For the same purpose, one or two plates of wear material 28, preferably stainless steel, are inserted into the housing, and as part of this anti-friction system, in the upper inner part of the sides of the housing (on the housing).

In this continuous bidirectional mechanism of displacement of structures a load compensation system or adaptation means 26 is incorporated, which is shown in detail in Figures 11, 12 and 13. This system 26 is constituted by transverse stringers 12, whose arrangement it provides the system with variable stiffness, supported on a loading beam 11 resting on displacement elements 14, preferably hydraulic cylinders. These displacement elements 14 make it possible to adapt the support links 2 to the deformation and movements of the structure to be displaced, avoiding deformation of the structure. The wheels 5 move on a raceway 10 that is supported on the stringers 12. The transverse beams 12 are fixed on the central loading beam 11, and support the raceway cantilever 10. These beams 12 have the same dimensions external but, the length in cantilever that they possess is different in such a way that the capacity of deformation also. In this way, these stringers deform more or less depending on the solicitation of each of the support plates, thus producing the adaptation of the support links to the geometry of the surface in contact with them. The load on the support plate 1 is transmitted to the stringers 12 through the raceway 10, on which the wheels 5 that are attached to the support links 2 are supported by the bolts 3. That support plate 1 that receives more vertical reaction will have a deformation proportional to the stiffness of the beam 12 on which it is located, thus adapting the set to the deformed structure to move. In order to guarantee the complete adaptation of the support plates 1 to movements of the structure to be displaced, displacement elements 14, preferably two hydraulic cylinders, which provide greater vertical displacements to the load compensation assembly are arranged. The adaptation means 26 also have a support structure (15).

The load compensation system or adaptation means 26 also incorporates safety devices 13 configured to detect overloads on the support links 2, stopping the device from activating if necessary.

In the traction chain a tensioner 8 is introduced which allows the tension of the traction chain 4 to be modified according to the requirements of the mechanism, as well as to guarantee a minimum tension in said chain. Also, this tensioner is able to adapt to the displacement of the chain produced by the load compensation device shown in Figure 11.

This compensation system includes safety devices 13 that control the deformation of the crossbars 12 and order the stop of the mechanism in the case of exceeding certain limits.

This entire compensation and safety system is fixed on a lower structure 15 anchored to the support housing 16, capable of supporting and transmitting the different efforts to which it is subjected.

A possible application of this new device is schematized in Figure 14. It is the launch by friction of a bridge, built in sections. The structure to be pushed is stored in a park and the device of the invention (referenced in Figure 14 as 25) carries out the thrust from a stirrup 24. The bridge is pushed by the frictional force transmitted by the device until it reaches the stack 23 nearest. Once a section 21 has been launched, the launch of the next 22 in the same way.

This invention allows the displacement of bridges or viaducts in two directions: forward or reverse. The elements that make up the mechanism are capable of performing the displacement in both directions simply by reversing the direction of rotation of the drive. In addition, it is capable of performing a continuous thrust since the movement of the mechanism is continuous in time, and it is possible to stop it or operate it when desired. Normally, it is a problem how to push large structures because of their great weight. This can be solved using several displacement devices working synchronously or independently, so that large, large tonnage structures can be pushed and, therefore, save large lights without resorting to auxiliary systems.

If the movement of a structure is carried out by means of displacement devices located at different points of the structure, a synchronization system (or control means) is necessary to control the speed of each of the devices separately and all this control it from a control panel where synchronous movement is ordered or not, as required. Among the possible applications of the displacement device is the launch of bridges. If, for example, a travel device is provided in each of the batteries 23

(see figure 14), it is necessary that all of them rotate at the same speed to avoid efforts on them. In this case, the control of the installation must order the synchronization of all the devices arranged in series. The present invention has application in the displacement of all types of heavy structures, such as bridges or viaducts of different types and materials.

Among the advantages of the invention, the following stand out: a) It allows continuous bidirectional displacement of structures of different types and materials. b) Reduces the travel time of all types of heavy structures due to the elimination of downtime and the increase in average speed. c) This displacement device can be included in one of the ends of the structure to be displaced, such as the definitive stirrup of a bridge, which avoids multiplying the provisional foundations or large thrust esplanades, as other methods require. . d) The proposed system can be reused in many different applications, both in complex structures (large lights, curved bridges, etc.) and simple structures (containers, beams, etc.) e) This device incorporates a safety control system that it will allow to limit the forces of thrust in the desired range, being able to detect if the efforts exceed the established limits and stops the mechanism if this occurs. In this way, the displacement in all its phases is carried out safely. f) The device incorporates a load compensation system between the support links on which the structure is located, which allow their adaptation to its deformed geometry.

Claims

1. Device for continuous displacement of a structure by means of a frictional force, comprising: -a few drives (19) configured to rotate pinions (6) in two directions, where said pinions (6) in turn drag traction chains (4); Y -a chain of links of support (2) of great rigidity designed to support vertical loads, joined to the chains of traction (4) by means of bolts (3) that support vertical and horizontal loads; characterized in that said bolts (3) fit, at their ends, said traction chains (4) and wheels (5) configured to support vertical loads and that are in contact with said traction pinions (6), remaining in the central area of the bolts (3) the support links (2). 2. The device of claim 1, comprising a plurality of support plates (1) on the support links (2), said support plates (1) being in contact with the structure to be moved by transmitting the pushing force by friction. 3. The device of any of the preceding claims, wherein the tension of said traction chains (4) is modified by means of a tensioner (8). 4. The device of any of the preceding claims, wherein the drives (19) rotate the pinions (6) transmitting the movement through an axle (7) and said pinions (6) in turn, engage the wheels ( 5) of the traction chains (4). 5. The device of any of the preceding claims, wherein said drives (19) can be hydraulic, electric, pneumatic or magnetic. 6. The device of any of the preceding claims, comprising also means of adaptation (26) of the device to the geometry of the contact surface of the structure to be pushed. 7. The device of claim 6, wherein said adaptation means (26) comprise a raceway (10) supported on stringers (12), embedded in a loading beam (11), configured to allow vertical displacement of the support links (2). The device of any of claims 6 or 7, wherein said adaptation means (26) further comprise displacement elements (14), which make it possible to adapt the support links (2) to the deformed and the movements of the structure to move, as well as a support structure (15). 9. The device of any one of the preceding claims, further comprising safety devices (13) configured to detect overloads on the support links (2), stopping the actuation of the device if necessary. 10. The device of any of the preceding claims, further comprising a housing (16) that houses the entire mechanism and in turn protects it, this safety cover housing (17), having one or more man steps (16) .a) and anchoring means (20) to keep the housing fixed. 11. The device of claim 10, further comprising an anti-friction system configured to withstand the horizontal transverse actions transmitted by the structure, between the traction chain (4) and the support housing (16), wherein said anti-friction system comprises a sheet of sliding material (27), on the ends of the bolts (3), and a sheet of wear-resistant material (28) on the housing (16). 12. The device of any of the preceding claims, which may go located both in the lower part, as in the sides or in the upper part of the structure that the device will move. 13. Installation comprising at least two devices according to any of the preceding claims, wherein each of said devices comprises control means configured to synchronize said devices with each other.